Waterfowl courtesy advice?

[mixxedbagg]

Just starting out waterfowling and it seems I’ve already been on both ends of rude behavior (albeit inadvertently). The other day I was out and had people arrive at 7:30 and set up right behind me at close range, then proceed to pepper me on their first shots, despite there being tons of room on the lake. I’ve tried to be conspicuous to other hunters when I hear their approach…flash my boat light a few times if it’s dark, stand up over the cattails if it’s light. Is there something else I should be doing? Or, do I just have to accept that people are going to do unsafe things like what the party mentioned above did and pull up and move when it happens?

On the other hand, the day after opener I unknowingly set up right across from another hunter on a river. I launched at what I thought was the only access on the river and there was only one other trailer. I immediately saw their lights as they were hunting only a few hundred yards up from the access. So, I thought I was golden. I continued to look for lights or dekes on my way up the river, but I saw none. I picked my spot and started plopping out dekes, stashed my boat, and pretty soon someone starts laying on a duck call across the river. I don’t know where they came from, there was no light, and nobody said anything. I would have appreciated a shout when I first arrived as I had no intention of setting up too close to another hunter. Why didn’t this person shout? At that point, I for courtesy and safety reasons, I couldn’t bring myself to shoot at anything headed downriver, which was pretty much everything, and I didn’t want to go out and pull decoys and disturb their hunting during prime time, so I just sat on the bank and drank coffee and watched woodies go by. Is there something else I can do to spot these guys that not only hide from ducks, but hide from duck hunters too? Is it possible that this other hunter just wasn’t bothered by me setting up close to him and that’s why he did nothing to let me know?

When I moved away from the hunters I mentioned in my first paragraph, I used binoculars as I motored across the lake to find an open area. One guy stood up at waved to me from a distance, which I appreciated, so I stayed well away from him. Then, when I arrived at some patchy cattails that looked alright, I shut off the motor and gave a shout to give any other hunter around the chance to let me know he was there. No reply, but I did flush up a few Ring-neckeds.

Basically, I’m just looking for etiquette advice (including acceptable distances) as I don’t want to be on either end of rude behavior. Also, if I know there are other hunters nearby but at a distance where safety is not an issue, are there situations where it would be rude to shoot at ducks that I feel are within range? Just hoping to keep the good will out there.

[broken_line]

if the people are nice and have a sence of safety i dont really care how close you are. but if your sky busting and shooting at me to kill a few coot then im not going to be a happy guy. i wish there were more guys like you out there that actually CARE to come on here and ask other hunters their opinion instead of asssuming (:

[buckx37x]

Like b.l. said its nice to see (hear of someone with safety and sensibilty questions). I have to say i believe most on this forum are safe and sensible but we all know they are lots of guys out there with niether one. I guess its a little hard for me to answer your question with much first hand knowledge as we hunt almost all private land. I will say a flashlight to warn guys were you are is a must and my rule of thumb, if i dont feel safe were other hunters are ill move.

[Gordie]

Mixxedbag it seams to happen every year and acctually its getting worse especailly on opener.

I had this happen this year some guys pulled up in front of me and my kids so I drove the boat over and politly asked them if they were looking to get rained on they said no. well I said your set up right in my line of fire they just looked at me like I was in the wrong and they sat back down in there boat. I was there before they were but I just turned my rig a different way so I wouldnt interfere with them bt they proceded to sky bust every thing thast flew by so I packed up and left.

Most of the waterfowlers I meet are great guys and most all have some code of ethics they follow and saftey in mind but you'll always run across someone who just dont care. and then its time to just back out and leave maybe even a call to the local CO wouldnt be a bad idea.

Great to see you have the right code of ethics in your gamebag you'll go along way with that and GOOD LUCK HUNTING

[creepworm]

When wondering if you are setting up too close to someone or shooting at birds that may be going to others, just put yourself in their shoes. If you would not want someone that close or to shoot at those birds, then move or let the birds go into their decoys.

[BrdHunter01]

agree with all of these posts. Sometimes you just cant avoid some of the idiots out there. We have had people set up straight accross from us no more than 60 yards aways shooting at everything that was coming into our decoys. Now if we are in a position that someone can do this to us we usually set one guy in the spot we plan on hunting and anouther guy in a spot where some inconsiderate fools might set up. Its sad I know but I don't want anyone in my party getting hurt and I don't want to hurt anyone else.

[GatorBait]

Code of ethics are out the door in this day n age. I have a prime example of this from this year which makes me want to do bad things. My buddies (2) and I are set up on this pot hole for woodies. Our dekes are out, we're setup on the bank 20yds apart. This pothole is 30yds long by 15yds wide. Long comes 3 other city folk (as we find out) and set up directly between us and in the midst of our spread. So I'm like, "Morning boys, let me point out the other 2 guys to your right and left so no one dies this morning." Thinking they'd take the hint, they come back with "Yeah, I see you, no worries, we shoot straight." I'm all down for the rights to public hunting grounds, but when a confined spot is already tight with 3 why would 3 others think it's safe and ethical to continue hunting an area such as this. The next week I pulled up there and 2 guys were just getting out their trucks in this location, I simply turned around, wished them luck and went to the next area down the road. Pretty simple thinking if you ask me.

[Jack Peterson]

same thing with ice fishing! start catching some nice walleyes, and sure enough here comes 7 trucks and they all park around me.

[broken_line]

i finally got shot monday evening. must of been T shot or something cuz it left a penny size welt on my leg and my waders now leak. i cant wait till the duck hunting gets hard for stupid people and they quit...

[TruthWalleyes]

I must say that you handled those situations VERY WELL!

Flashing your lights is all you can do, stand up in the light hours, let other hunters know where you are for safety reasons...When someone gets too close, its your call to leave or not, but everything you did was as courteous as can be. Yes, it does stink when you accidently set up close to someone huh... I've accidently done that myself, and i like how you stuck it out to improve their hunt!!

[Muthagoose]

I quit hunting around the west metro area decades ago due to a gun lifted out of my boat at the ramp as we helped another guy get his boat in. That was the same day we had a guy set up 25 yds off our spread legaly...

Whaletail lake USED to be a good lake to hunt..

We called the warden O'le Hammer, he told us they were in the right and there was nothing he could do its PUBLIC area..

You have to remember they have rights..

They may not have honor,ethics or common sense but they do have the right to waste a day crowding anyone they feel like........

If I remember right that was also the year of vandals pulling valve stems out of rims at landings.

[skee0025]

We had a similar thing happen this opener. We had a boat full of maroons back troll right into our decoy spread. They knew we were there but decided to go for it anyways. Needless to say I yelled at them for doing it and the Only response was "dont worry we're leaving" I told them I wasnt worried because I would not be the one picking shot out of my azz. If they would have had plainer boards or surface lures out I would have been getting a little practice in.

[brittman]

Crowding tends to be a behavior that I see only in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Maybe they should enforce a parking lot rule of one or two vehicles per WMA. Someone else there you cannot hunt.

I also highly doubt that the majority of people on this forum are to blame. More often victims. These slob (if not unethical) hunters probably do not visiting hunting forums.

On bigger lakes with boat ramps. Maybe the DNR cuts down the number of parking spots based on the huntable portion of the lake.

The DNR does not understand that it is the quality of the hunt (which for many on public land is rapidly declining) that is most important to waterfowl hunters not just being out there.

Too many other things to do like fish, bow hunt, upland birds, go to a football game, heck even golf or yard work. If people are constantly crowded in on, peppered, working ducks skyblasted downwind than hunt quality sucks and they leave the sport.

[Finlander]

Why can't the DNR (Do Nothing Right) make a rule like they have for shooting near houses and buildings say 500' rule? Say no hunter may be within 500' of another hunter who has a spot already established? Make it a law that has teeth with fines!

That would eliminate alot of arguing and possible injury from hunters setting up too close to each other. That way instead of screaming at hunters who set up too close to you when you've been there an hour before they arrived at shooting time, just let them know that you will be calling the DNR tips and will be fined!

Too much to ask for? It shouldn't be! Other hunters who don't care how close they set up would be a thing of the past! I hunt a 6,000m acre lake with alot of emergent vegitation so there is plenty of room, but they always manage to find me!

[Jack Peterson]

I just remembered about last year. A buddy and I took out two FIRST time duck hunters. We had access to a pond that was supposedly for us only. Shooting hours rolled up, and somebody starts up a little duck boat and drives right smack in front of us. Well, the hunt was over as soon as he started calling. Some people are horrible at calling in ducks and geese! My buddy said "Screw this," unloaded his gun into the air, and we walked the quarter mile through cattails back to the truck.

Long story short, some loser ruined two teenagers first duck hunting experience.

[Musky Buck]

Tough situation(s). I haven't duck hunted in 10-15 years roughly, I do pursue geese regularly. I used to wonder with ducks how many we'd see etc. and if we'd get shooting in possibly, the last few years of duck hunting the alarm would go off and I'd wonder, how many people will be there and how crazy it might be etc., it turned into just shutting the alarm down and sleeping in as I got tired of waking up that early to set up on a spot only to have clowns coming at daybreak paddling around when we should be set for birds, it just got old and on top of that my last outing someone started water pounding my decoys. So I'm home free with geese, not always, many times I've found and got permission on a good field to have guys set up on the fenceline of the property and sky bust em before they get over the fields I hunt. It isn't like it used to be, people treated and respected one another a lot more.

[jparrucci]

I agree with the sediment where there needs to be a rule as far as setting up too close to others, I've been peppered enough times. I also had a very scary incident where my decoys were shot from behind me while I was in my canoe. The shot was from just a foot or two to my left side and maybe twenty yards behind me. Missed the back of my head by inches.

[duckhuntr21]

I was having a problem last year with other hunters hunting too close and after a telephone call with the local C.O., he informed me that being too close can be considered harassment and charged as such. This would be in an extreme case and also if threats are made.

[Ufatz]

Pretty depressing stuff fellas. Flipping through this thread reminds me again of the reasons the number of hunters, particularly waterfowl hunters, keeps dropping. Aside from the major shift in the flyway, the crowding, lack of courtesy and common sense take the pleasure out of it. The saddest aspect of all this is: it is not going to get better. Crowding will continue. Manners, respect for others and common sense seem to be shadows from the past. Of course, it isn't just in hunting.......it is corroding our society.

I'm sad for today's hunters and even sadder for the kids of today's hunters.

[strait-meat]

I hunted today and setup about 100yd from a guy. I flashed all around that area but I did not get any flashes back so I thought the coast was clear. So make sure to have a light big enough so other hunters can see you. I would have rather settle up further so the lake would have been covered better by hunters but I guess that happens.

[mixxedbagg]

Thanks guys. Glad to see I'm not the only one. (Well, in a way...sucks that we have to talk about this.) I think it bothers me more to set up next to someone than to have someone set up next to me...kind of an embarrassment factor. I don't want to mess up someone else's morning. I bought a large spotlight, so hopefully that will help. I went out the other morning and made sure to have a spot A,B,&C. I figured I'd talk to anyone I met at the ramp and see what their plans were then adjust accordingly. As it turns out, the place I chose was less popular, I never saw anyone despite it being a weekend, and took 3 ducks...so no problems.

[Stringerless!]

Some in Carlos shot at my dekes with a .22 from the woods ! Lets call him Chai. Talk about scary ! .22 bullets richocheting of the water ! Hey, the place is 3 miles out the back door. Quitting time was 6:19 and I picked up a dozen dekes, push poled across the pool and loaded the boat and I was in the driveway at 6:40. I will put up with alot of [PoorWordUsage] for that kind of convienience.

[mixxedbagg]

Yikes! You should have gotten the location and called law enforcement for your own safety.